Foreign Lines – North Queensland

In 1999 1079 is at Barron Falls Station during its climb up the range to Kuranda in tropical North Queensland.This was the first time a mainline loco worked the line as the track was in the process of being upgraded.

The Barron Falls (Aboriginal: Bibhoora) is a steep tiered cascade waterfall on the Barron River located where the river descends from the Atherton Tablelands to the Cairns coastal plain, in Queensland, Australia.

Barron Falls near Kuranda, Australia

Date 27 January 2005 Source Wikipedia Author Ashlsimm Permission (Reusing this file) The copyright holder of this file, Ash Simmons, allows anyone to use it for any purpose, provided that the copyright holder is properly attributed. Redistribution, derivative work, commercial use, and all other use is permitted.

Some Early Lines

Old Railway Companies

Ashby & Nuneaton Joint Railway

The Ashby & Nuneaton Joint Railway was the only joint MR/L&NWR project. Market Bosworth station, now used as a garage, was, at this time, also the southern limit of the Battlefield Line, which aimed to extend along the track-bed beyond the station towards Shenton and Bosworth battlefield.

The London & North Western Railway proposed a line from Ashby to Nuneaton via Market Bosworth in conjunction with the Nuneaton – Wigston line opened in 1864, but the Midland Railway had already obtained powers for an identical line in 1846, which had lapsed at the time of the purchase of the Leicester & Swannington Railway. Now, however, it revived the plans the result being a joint project, authorised on 1 September 1873, was worked by both partners, becoming part on the London, Midland & Scottish Railway in 1923. Three miles of track-bed between Shackerstone and Market Bosworth are now part of the preserved ‘Battlefield Line’.

The Battlefield Line is the last remaining part of the former Ashby and Nuneaton Joint Railway which was opened in 1873. It runs from Shackerstone via Market Bosworth to Shenton in Leicestershire and is operated by the Shackerstone Railway Society.

Shackerstone Station is at the northern end of the line, and is the headquarters of the railway with museum, Victorian tea room souvenir shop, loco shed and main rolling stock located here. There is ample free parking, and the Ashby Canal is just a stones throw away.

Our remarkable railway captures the very essence of a country line, with steam, diesel and railcar train services along with small stations meandering along a single track line. It really does convey something of the feeling and atmosphere of heady days past.

For anyone who retains a sense of nostalgia for times gone by, you’ll be pleasantly surprised at this place – one of Leicestershire’s best kept secrets, not just a train ride but a journey into history as well.

Railways in Preservation in the 1980s & 1990s

Churnet Valley Railway, December 1993

Super D Consall 2005

Knotty Unveils 3- Stage Plan

Churnet Valley Railway, at the dawn of turning a 20-year dream into reality in North Staffordshire, have revealed their operational timetable.
A Light Railway Order application was lodged nearly a year ago which has generated only a limited number of objections.
Now the ‘Knotty’ have identified three distinct stages of development.

Some Early Lines

Old Railway Companies

Alloa Railway

Authorised on 11 August 1879, this 3-mile branch ran from the Caledonian Railway’s South Alloa branch, across the river Forth to Alloa. The Caledonian Railway paid for the line, absorbing the Company with effect from 1 September 1884, the Act (14 July) also authorising extension. The line opened on 1 October 1885 – the North British Railway had running powers.

A glassy River Forth and a line of bridge stanchions, reflecting, perhaps, on times past. They once carried the Alloa Railway to the industrial town on the north bank.

The Alloa railway was connected to the Stirling and Dunfermline Railway by a connecting line from Longcarse Junction built by the North British Railway in exchange for reciprocal running powers.

British Railways added a second connection from Longcarse Junction to Alloa Marshalling Yard (parallel with the S&D line) in 1957. This made the turntable at Alloa passenger station redundant.

Alloa Swing Bridge
The swing bridge across the Forth was opened on 1 October 1885. It was subsequently closed twice due to storm damage in 1904/5 and 1920/1.

Steam Railways in Preservation in the 1980s-90s – From Dec 17 1993

Glocestershire Warwickshire Railway

Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway – Christmas 1991

GWR will be a mile longer before Easter

The Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway will be at least one mile longer when it opens at Easter for the start of its tenth season, Chairman Richard Johnson has pledged in his annual report.
Following a terrifically successful season which has seen the GWR’s membership top 2,000 and a record number of services attract an extra 20% of passengers, Mr. Johnson says that they will be nearer to Cheltenham Racecourse in 1994.
He commented, in the latest edition of the GWR ‘Cornishman’ magazine: ‘The news of the track extension is that the plc Board have had a definite commitment from the Permanent Way Department that an extension of at least one mile will be open by Easter next year.
‘The majority of track is laid and ballast is clean and ready.’
‘The longer our line gets, the more we must ensure that we are able to maintain what we have. The creeping vegetation along the line needs to be kept at bay and those infernal weeds in the track need to be removed once and for all – not just from the running line but also from the yards and sidings. It is one area where we have consistently let ourselves down over the last two years.’
He added that the visit of the ‘Flying Scotsman’ had demonstrated once again that ‘star’ locos do undoubtedly bring in the crowds.
‘A building able to house a number of such locos on a secure and permanent basis will increase our profile yet higher… the endless debate is whether or not available funds should go towards it, or to further track extensions.
‘There is no right answer, both are important.’
The spring season at the GWR will open on a high note with the return of ex-Great Western Hall Class loco ‘Burton Agnes Hall’.

Some Early LinesOld Railway Companies

Aberdeen Railway

The Aberdeen Railway was a railway that ran mainly along the North East coast of Scotland south from Aberdeen to Guthrie on the Arbroath and Forfar Railway. There were branches to Montrose and Brechin.

Incorporated on 31 July 1845 for a line from Guthrie (Arbroath and Forfar Railway) to Aberdeen, with branches to Brechin and Montrose, it was promoted by Great North of Scotland Railway supporters, who arranged for amalgamation should it be thought appropriate. However, by the time half the capital was paid up and spent, the Companies had drawn apart. It was worked by the Scottish Central Railway between 12 May 1851 and31 July 1854, and the Company amalgamated with the Scottish Midland Junction Railway on 29 July 1856 to form the Scottish North Eastern Railway, connecting Perth to Aberdeen. This latter company was absorbed by the Caledonian Railway on 10 August 1866, which in turn became part of the LMS on 1 July 1923.

The station currently standing was built as Aberdeen Joint Station between 1913–16, replacing an 1867 structure of the same name, on the same site. The station and the new Denburn Valley Line enabled the main line from the south and the commuter line from Deeside to connect with the line from the north. The lines from the south had previously terminated at the adjacent Aberdeen Guild Street. Even this had not been Aberdeen’s first railway station, that distinction belonging to a previous terminus a short way south at Ferryhill. After the construction of the Joint Station, Guild Street Station became a goods station. Some of its tracks remain, but the vast majority of the site was cleared in 2005.

This image was taken from the Geograph project collection. See this photograph’s page on the Geograph website for the photographer’s contact details. The copyright on this image is owned by Stanley Howe and is licensed for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 license.

USA Railways

From Railroad Glory Days

Railroad Glory Days

It has been a long time since Denver had a visit from Union Pacific 3985.

Railroad Glory Days

Denver actually has two remaining railroad stations: the well known Union Station, and the long disused Moffat Station shown here in a photo taken yesterday.

Moffat Station was the Denver terminus of David Halliday Moffat’s Denver, Northwestern and Pacific Railroad. This railroad was a latecomer to Denver — construction begun in 1904. It was projected to be the short route between Denver and Salt Lake City. Although the railroad never achieved Moffat’s (1839 – 1911) goal,ending a Craig, it survived long enough to be absorbed into the Denver & Rio Grande Western in 1947.

The station, designed by Edwin Moorman, is said to be predominantly Georgian Revival architecture and was opened to business in 1906. It has been redeveloped for a new use among overwhelming, larger new buildings that constitute Denver’s burgeoning LoDo neighborhood.

Steam Railways in Preservation in the 1980s-90s

From May 14, 1993

The LWR is situated in a beautiful part of the Lincolnshire countryside between the Wolds and the coast, and is only a short distance from Grimsby, the seaside resort of Cleethorpes and the historic market town of Louth.

The railway operates on a stretch of line that was part of the Great Northern route from Boston to Grimsby.

After the last section of line was closed by BR in 1980, a preservation society was formed with the aim of restoring it. Heritage steam trains once again run between Ludborough and North Thoresby and work is now in progress to extend the line southwards towards Louth.

What visitors to the railway see today is a result of all the time and effort that a small, but dedicated band of volunteers have put in over many years.